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Portrait of visual artist Aaron Samuel Mulenga
Design Indaba
Cape Town, South Africa
Zambian visual artist Aaron Samuel Mulenga was selected by Design Indaba to take part in our collaborative initiative with Google Arts & Culture, titled Colours of Africa. Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Stories are told in pigments, tones and hues; a kaleidoscope as diverse as the cultures and peoples of the continent. For the initiative, we asked 60 African creatives to capture the unique spirit of their country in a colour which represents home to them. The projects they have created are personal and distinct stories of Africa, put into images, videos, texts and illustrations. Each artist has also attempted to articulate what being African means to their identity and view of the world.
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- Title: Portrait of visual artist Aaron Samuel Mulenga
- Original Source: Design Indaba
- What it Means to be African: Being African means being part of a community that cares. I think about Ubuntu and being one with another. A lot of people I have come in contact with on the continent have been willing to lend a helping hand and be a part of my journey even knowing who I am.
- Subject: Aaron Samuel Mulenga
- Rationale: Copper is the colour of Zambia. The colour makes me think of the mineral, and copper is Zambia’s top export and has even given the nation its nickname, “country of copper”. Copper the mineral can be transformed into a wire that can be used to power a nation, it is a hopeful colour. There was a Zambian man named Edward Makuka Nkoloso who began his own space programme in the 1960s. An original Afronaut, he hoped to send a Zambian girl to space. He didn’t get there, but he helped the people of our country imagine life beyond their limits and literally encouraged us to reach for the stars. Zambians are hopeful and determined people, copper is the colour of dreams. Copper Aaron Samuel Mulenga I chose the colour Copper because Just like a pauper I want To move from rags to riches. I want to get fine linen Instead of patched up stitches I chose the colour Copper because I believe it is a colour of Hope! One that can move our country’s Tattered economy forward, But not as a trope I could get into fiscal policy And financial jargon, but I’d rather Focus on the legacy That this colour provides. Like its mineral counterpart, its weight Can be measured in Gold. This colour is reminiscent of The Copper Crosses used as currency in my country Though, now a memory, These crosses paved the way for modern commerce. A hopeful people, stirred by The mixture of earthy tones from The brownish red copper colour, We commercialized this resource By mass production into wire, we provided Power! With such innovation came the determination To reach for the stars. Hope soared as Zambia’s Nkoloso conjured up An Afronaut Space Program. Though unable to reach its galactic destination The memory of undying determination remains, That one day soon, We too, Shall rise above Our momentary troubles.
- Project: Colors of Africa
- Location: Zambia
- Lead Quote: Copper the mineral can be transformed into a wire that can be used to power a nation, it is a hopeful colour.
- Hex Code: CB6D51
- Colour Choice: Copper
- Biography: Visual artist Aaron Samuel Mulenga grew up in Kitwe, a mining town in Zambia. He is currently pursuing a PhD in the History of Art and Visual Culture at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His practice has looked at transcendence and how it can be represented through various forms of spirituality with a particular focus on the Christian faith as well as aspects of Zambian culture. During his masters at Rhodes University he created a body of work called Icilengwa Lesa: Transcendence Through Flight (2019). Ideas surrounding power and culture, particularly Zambian culture heritage have motivated a lot of the work Mulenga creates. He operates in several mediums to tell stories about Zambia and the African continent, often creating three-dimensional objects and sculptures. Mulenga has worked in bronze, photography, painting and drawing. In 2017 he participated in a bronze-sculpting residency with the Falconer Foundry. He has also participated in a number of group exhibitions such as And Counting, Johannesburg Art Gallery (2019); Converge, Grahamstown National Arts Festival (2018); Disclosure, SMAC Gallery (2017); Salvage in Port Elizabeth (2017); and Absa L'atelier in Johannesburg (2016).
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